Unlock the secrets of a sharper mind and a brighter mood as registered dietitian Leonila Campos joins us to reveal the profound connection between our diet and our mental health. Leonila sheds light on how the foods we choose not only nourish our bodies but also shape our emotions and cognitive functions. Get ready to be empowered with strategies for creating meals that will feed your brain, manage stress-induced cravings, and understand why a restless night might lead you straight to the cookie jar. Our enlightening conversation promises to equip you with the knowledge to make nutrition the cornerstone of your mental well-being.
Delving deeper, we recognize that therapy is a critical piece of the wellness puzzle, and Leonila stresses the importance of a therapeutic relationship that feels safe and connected. In this episode, we dissect how our brains, those incredible energy powerhouses, require high-quality fuel for optimal function. We share practical tips for sustaining a nutritious diet even on those low-energy days, and discuss when supplements might be necessary to fill dietary gaps. Plus, we tackle the topic of stress and its insidious role in our food choices, offering insights into how to break free from the cycle of emotional eating. Join us as we navigate the intricate web of therapy, nutrition, and stress management for a more harmonious life.
Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to this podcast and share with a friend. If you would like to know more about my services, please message at fueledbyleo@gmail.com
Unlock the secrets of a sharper mind and a brighter mood as registered dietitian Leonila Campos joins us to reveal the profound connection between our diet and our mental health. Leonila sheds light on how the foods we choose not only nourish our bodies but also shape our emotions and cognitive functions. Get ready to be empowered with strategies for creating meals that will feed your brain, manage stress-induced cravings, and understand why a restless night might lead you straight to the cookie jar. Our enlightening conversation promises to equip you with the knowledge to make nutrition the cornerstone of your mental well-being.
Delving deeper, we recognize that therapy is a critical piece of the wellness puzzle, and Leonila stresses the importance of a therapeutic relationship that feels safe and connected. In this episode, we dissect how our brains, those incredible energy powerhouses, require high-quality fuel for optimal function. We share practical tips for sustaining a nutritious diet even on those low-energy days, and discuss when supplements might be necessary to fill dietary gaps. Plus, we tackle the topic of stress and its insidious role in our food choices, offering insights into how to break free from the cycle of emotional eating. Join us as we navigate the intricate web of therapy, nutrition, and stress management for a more harmonious life.
Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to this podcast and share with a friend. If you would like to know more about my services, please message at fueledbyleo@gmail.com
Hey, hey, welcome back to another episode in the Simple Nutrition Insights Podcast. I am your host, leonida Campos, registered Dietitian. In today's episode, I want to talk about nutrition and mental health. Now, I am not going to discuss specific conditions or more the clinical aspect of it, because one, that's out of my scope of practice. And, two, I'm actually going to bring in a specialist, a therapist or psychologist, to talk more about that. But I want to focus more on the role of nutrition right in mental health and just a few tips that can help us to maybe improve our mental health or give us some guidance there.
Speaker 1:
So you might ask you know the question as to you know what's the relevance? Right, like how important or what is the linkage between nutrition and mental health? Or what is the link, the linkage between nutrition and mental health? And it actually it's um, nutrition plays a huge role in our mental health right, and also our decisions to choose different foods and maybe reasons why we choose a certain food. So it's all interconnected, right, and I've talked about this in the past that we are a whole person. Right, and I've talked about this in the past, that we are a whole person. Right, it's not that we each body part is separated. Yes, maybe each organ has a role, so like our heart, right, to pump our blood, kidneys to filter the urine, to filter the blood, and so on and so forth. But we're all a whole person, right, we're all in one, and so same thing with our brains, right. And nutrition plays a huge role in every single aspect of our bodies.
Speaker 1:
And so why I wanted to talk about this is because I see this often in my patients, I see this often in the community, and so I think it is important to mention factors and mention maybe some tips to help with that. And then, of course, I'm also going to talk about the importance of asking for help right From a professional, a therapist, because a lot of the times we might not be able to do it alone, right, if we've been struggling for so long and we feel like, you know, I just continue to struggle, I feel like I'm in this hamster, you know wheel and like I'm not going anywhere. And so if you haven't had the help that you need, it's really difficult to really do any kind of progress, the help that you need, it's really difficult to really do any kind of progress. So the other thing as to why I wanted to talk about this topic is because I've had patients right that come to me, and they're coming to me to improve their health right and improve their nutrition and just to have more energy and feel like themselves. But, as we do our sessions right, and as I ask questions and I ask a lot of questions because I want to make sure that I'm understanding you right as a person and so one of the questions that I always ask is how is your sleep right? What is your quality of sleep? Because we know, and there's research that shows, that if there's lack of sleep, either the amount or the quality of sleep then that affects our emotions, right, that affects our brain, our brain function, our body function, our decision to choose healthier options, right, or to eat healthier and balanced meals. So you ask that question.
Speaker 1:
But I also ask about stress, right? Yes, we live in a society that is highly stressful, right, our environment is highly stressful, and so if we have these super high levels of stress and not to say that all stress is bad right, we need a little bit of stress, right to get our bodies going like in the morning, right? Oh, it's time to get up. Our bodies get warmed up, you know, gelatin levels decrease, usually those endorphins start to kick in to get you out of bed and get you going. And so a little bit of stress. Same thing with exercise, right, we get a little bit of stress and that is okay. The problem is chronic stress, meaning that we have high levels of stress 24-7, right. And then we have the factor of not sleeping. So now our bodies are like I don't know what you're doing to me, and so it's really hard for your bodies to, or for our bodies to really repair and heal and go back to that homeostasis, right, that balance. And so stress plays a huge role, right. And so I ask that question all the time, and probably 90% of the time.
Speaker 1:
When someone says, oh, I don't have stress, it's either because that you're really good at managing high levels of stress or you haven't really recognized oh my gosh, I am stressed all the time. So to me that is normal. Or maybe someone literally they don't have any stress, right, and so that's great. But oftentimes, if we are not aware of how stressful we are, we don't know how to manage that stress, right, we don't have coping mechanisms or stress mechanism to help us with the stress, right, and so then it can be presented in. You know, usually the words that I hear is like I'm an emotional eater, right, I tend to just eat whatever or skip meals and then eat really big meals or snacks throughout the day. Oh, I don't eat at all. Right, it can manifest in different ways, but because we don't really are aware that we have these high levels of stress, and so if we're not aware, how are we going to manage them? Essentially, right, and so we kind of go, we just are going, you know, throughout the days without being aware of it, and so those things are also really important.
Speaker 1:
Now, if there is more clinical conditions like depression, or there is a mental health disorder, that has to be addressed first, right, before we can really start to see some changes, some nutrition changes or fitness changes or just overall well-being progress, because you know it takes a lot of energy, right, if we're depressed to get out of bed, right, to get a little bit of motivation to do something or to cook, right, we don't have that energy, and I see that I've seen that with a few of my clients right, where they are really struggling with, like, meeting our nutrition goals or with meeting the goals that we are setting up as a team. And so they come to me in two weeks and they're like, they just feel worst, right, because, like I have, I wasn't able to. I was able to do it for a few days, and then things happen, or, you know, something happened and I wasn't able to do it anymore, right, I got really depressed or I got really sad or really angry, and then I wasn't able to continue. And so, at that moment right, as a dietician, as a health professional, my job is to provide you with referrals, to provide you with the opportunity to seek out help from a psychologist or a mental health professional, because that is way out of my scope of practice and I wouldn't even know how to help you, right? And so I usually encourage my patients, my clients, right, to work with their therapist for you know, several sessions or whatever the amount of sessions that they need to work with or work on. And then when they feel like, okay, I feel ready, right, I know that now I can focus on my meals, right, now I can focus on my nutrition, then let's come back together and work on that. Right, and that's totally fine with me, because I want to make sure that you're getting the help that you need from that standpoint, right, from the mental health standpoint, and then we can focus on the nutrition part of it, we can focus on the fitness part of it, the wellness part of it, and that's totally fine, right.
Speaker 1:
And so that is the case of one of my patients, one of my clients, right, she was so eager to start and the first week was amazing, right, and she felt so confident, um, and she had, she had, depression in the past and she said, you know, I the way that it presented was in anger, right, I was angry all the time, and so then I got helped and that, you know, that went away, or it was managed, and then life happened, right, other things happened, and so now she didn't realize that she was in like full depression, right, because she wasn't having that anger, but she described it more as like crying all the time or being in a meeting that had nothing to do with, you know, with what is happening to her, and she felt like she wanted to cry, right, and she's like this is just not normal. And she knows herself, right, we know ourselves for the most part. But she said, you know, talking to you and understanding that even to cook right is becoming a chore, is becoming something that I don't want to do, and I just finding myself crying all the time. It's not helping me, right, like I just feel like I'm failing every single time. And so, yeah, she reached out to her previous therapist and so they're working together now and she's like I know that I need to focus on me for the moment, on my mental health, and I know that I'm going to come back and now I'll be able to really focus on my nutrition, and that is great, right Again, because my goal for you is to get the help that you need and then focus on your nutrition. If that is the next thing, right, which is totally fine. So, yeah, making sure that you know, if you're struggling with that, that you reach out for help. There is a lot of resources. I'll link some in my show notes. But if you have health insurance, your health insurance, for the most part, is going to cover mental health, and so you can always call your insurance provider or insurance carrier, right, and ask for a list of providers that take your insurance and, just you know, go down the list.
Speaker 1:
I've also heard in the past, right, that, oh, you know I work with a therapist and that didn't help me. Or you know X, y, z, and I understand that, right, but there's different therapists, right, and so you almost have to give it a try. You have to find a person that you feel comfortable and that you feel that you know you're building that rapport because I know what you're going to talk about. This is very sensitive, right, and if you don't, you don't feel hurt. If you don't feel that connection, if you don't feel safe in that environment, then it's okay to reach out to someone else, right, it's okay to find someone else. It doesn't mean like, oh, help me with that person, and like there's no connection there, right, you have the absolute right to find someone else. And so, you know, give that a try, right. We have different stages in our life, right, and so maybe at that stage when you reached out for help, maybe you were at a different stage, and now you're at a different stage, right, and so your needs are probably going to be different and you might need a different provider right at that moment, and that's totally fine too. So don't feel like that you're alone. It may seem like you are right, because it can be very lonely, but know that there is help out there and that you can get access to that help.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so, coming back to nutrition, right, like how important is nutrition in our mental health? So our brains require a massive amount of energy, right. At least 20% of our calories our brain needs that. It needs 20% of our energy, and so that's quite a huge amount of energy, right. And so if we are not eating enough, right, our brains can't really function right, we feel foggy and we just can't really think straight. So we need to have that good quality of meals, right. But if, in that moment where you're, like, you know, you just don't feel well, I don't want to cook, or whatever the case may be, at least getting to get some consistency with the meals might be the first step, and then we can work on the quality right of the nutrients, which is really important too.
Speaker 1:
Right, and this is something that I've talked about in previous episodes right, making those meals balanced, right. It doesn't have to be like complicated recipes, it doesn't have to be like a complicated plan, keeping it super simple. Right, making those meals balanced right, it doesn't have to be like complicated recipes, it doesn't have to be like a complicated plan. Keeping it super simple, right. Just making sure that we're having a variety of foods from all the food groups, right. Prioritizing our protein for that energy. Right. And, of course, our whole grains, our carbohydrates, you know, coming from fruits, coming from starchy veggies, our fiber, the same thing right, from different types of vegetables and whole grains and nuts and seeds, because all those nutrients are going to provide vitamins and minerals. Right, that our bodies and our brains need to function properly.
Speaker 1:
So, having that focus, right. And it doesn't have to be so, for example, if we are not having the energy to cook right. So buying already pre-cooked proteins right. Then you can just warm up and put together. Or chopped vegetables, right. Chopped and washed vegetables, yes, it might be more expensive, right, but then you have to have that trade-off, right. Like am I not making these balanced meals because I just don't want to have to? Like, wash the vegetable, cut the vegetable. Then buy them already cut, right, you're saving some time there. Um, you know? And? And that's another way to do it. Or buying pre-cooked grains right, like brown rice or quinoa or white rice, and that's another option as well. So, keeping it super simple during those times when you're not feeling like you have the energy to cook those meals, but you still want to make them pretty balanced.
Speaker 1:
Let's see a few more things here now. Um, if we were to say, okay, is there, are there any specific um nutrients we should talk about? Not necessarily, right, because as long as we're getting a variety of nutrients right, we should be getting different nutrients from the foods. Now, if you notice that week after week it is a struggle to get a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein sources, then talking to your healthcare provider or your dietician about adding a supplement, right, that might help. Specifically, if you're not, you know, if you're not adding omega-3 foods. So, like your fatty fish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna at least two times a week. Or plant sources, right, like ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil. Um, then adding, uh, an omega-3 supplement with dha and epa. It's a good idea. Again, you want to talk to your healthcare provider first or your dietician before any adding any kind of supplement.
Speaker 1:
Um, the other thing, too, that is important to mention, right, when it comes to like, stress and mental health, is how are you responding to that? Right, like, if you are in a stressful situation and you know what are the first thoughts that come to mind, right? Or what are the first things that you do when that happens? And if it's reaching out for food, right, or thinking about food, it could be because your brain has made those connections right in the past and so it goes it, you know, it reminds you to do that, like, hey, remember when you know that happened, you had a cookie. Right, let's have a cookie so you can feel better.
Speaker 1:
Now there's a lot that goes into it, right, and I talk to my patients about that too, because if we're resorting to that right, that's one of the ways to manage our stress or to manage very strong emotions, right. For some other people it could be, you know, go outside and smoke, right, or have a drink, or whatever the case may be, but it's because that's the only way at that moment that that's how we can manage that specific emotion or that stress, right, we don't know anything else. And so if that is something that you're like, I want to work on that right, because I don't want to have to mask that feeling with a food, right, or with this other behavior. And so the first thing that you have to do is being aware of it, right, because now, either you're aware, okay to do is being aware of it, right, because now, either you're aware, okay, now we can do something about it, right. So, for example, if every time that that coworker talks to you, you get really upset, right, and you're like, okay, now I need to have a cookie or a chocolate because I'm really angry and I know that this is going to make me feel happy, but it's a short, you know, short lived, right Essentially. And I know that this is going to make me feel happy, but it is a short in a short lift, right Essentially.
Speaker 1:
And so what you have to do, right, yes, acknowledge that emotion right, acknowledge that feeling when you are, when you feel that you need to have it. Right, yes, I want to have that, but why? Right, because I'm having these really strong emotions and that is why. And so one of the ways, right, one of the actions that we can do, is let me take care of me first. Let me take care of this emotion first, right, either by doing some deep breathing, you know, a few times, five times, taking a walk right outside, writing something, reading something or listening to something, right, and then, if you come back and you still want to have the cookie? Right, have it.
Speaker 1:
But now there's not a connection of, like anger, right, cookie, you're retraining your brain, right, you're rewiring your brain right to say, okay, yes, I okay, yes, I mean having these emotions, but let me take care of myself right now. Right, by doing deep breathing or whatever the case may be. So, that way, every time that happens, right, my brain knows what to do almost automatically. Right, but you have to practice that. It's not going to like, just, oh, I did some deep breathing today because I was really angry. I know that's going to help me forever. No, you have to practice that, right, your brain has to. You really have to retrain it.
Speaker 1:
Right, that every time you have that really strong emotions, this automatically, right, you start to deep breathe or you go for a walk or whatever you know, you choose, and then again, if you want to have that food, then go for it. Right, have it. But what happens is that, especially if this is something that you want to change, is that you know you're angry, you have the cookie and then you think, man, I shouldn't have that cookie. Right, like, why did I do it? Now you have even more strong emotions, right, like in this cycle, and then you're like then whatever, like what's the point now of I shouldn't have that cookie? Right Like, why did I do it? Now you have even more strong emotions, right Like, and it's this cycle. And then you're like then, whatever, like, what's the point now of like, whatever? And so it's really important that you pay attention to that. Right Like, we don't learn, usually we don't learn how to manage a really strong emotions, and so it's.
Speaker 1:
You know, as we, as we, as we get older, we, we do what we can, right to almost, uh, no control, but to almost have like, I don't even know how to explain it, but how to like, deal I guess that's the word deal with those really strong emotions. And our brains find ways, right, because, at the end of the day, what our bodies, what our brains are designed to do in a primitive way, is to keep us alive and survive, right. And so if, by keeping you alive and by surviving, when you have these really strong emotions, it's linked to some kind of food, then it's going to do that, right, it's not. Until we are aware of it, we rewire and we retrain our brains to be like okay, I'm really angry, right, let's take some deep breathing, let's take a few moments right, to get those feelings out. Right, to get those feelings out. And then you know if we again, if we still want that food, let's go for it, let's have it Right. But now your brain is like, okay, I'm not going right away for it, right, like I'm taking care of me at the moment. It's not going to be pretty all the time, right, it's not going to be perfect all the time, but I think it is important to have that practice and to and to really be mindful of it. The most important thing, right again, is really asking for that support from a psychologist, from a mental health provider, right, that can really work with you and help you get these skills and tools. That, when you are in it right, you know what to do automatically and you're addressing yourself, you know, from top to bottom, and I think that is really important, that wholesome, that holistic way of taking care of yourself.
Speaker 1:
Okay, my friend, I think that is it for today's episode. I just wanted to come here and talk about relationship of nutrition and mental health and a few tips on how to help you with that. I'll be bringing again an expert in this area to talk more about these topics, and so stay tuned. More about these topics, and so stay tuned. In the show notes, you'll find some resources there to help you. I'll add a little handout for you to help you again with your mental health and some nutrition tips. So remember to stay safe and stay strong Again. You're not alone. Please reach out for help if you feel like you've been struggling for a long time. And thank you for listening and I will see you in the next episode. All right, my friend, take care, bye, bye for now.